The present application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-203696, which is incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a connector, and more particularly to a connector suited for a wire harness for electrically connecting, for example, control equipments and electronic equipments mounted on an automobile.
2. Related Art
Automated controls for various vehicles, including passenger cars, have been advanced, and with this advance various control equipments or devices, such as a CPU, and electronic equipments have been mounted on the vehicle.
Such control equipments and electronic equipments are connected by a wire harness, and the wire harness includes a connector which can be detachably connected in an inserted manner to a terminal connector mounted on the control equipment or the like.
One example of conventional connectors will now be described with reference to FIGS. 13 to 16.
As shown in FIG. 13, the connector 100 comprises insulating housings 101, terminals 102, and a cover member 103. The insulating housing 101 is formed into a strip-like shape, and as illustrated in FIG. 4 which shows part of the insulating housing on an enlarged scale, partition walls 105 are formed on a continuous base plate 104 (or merely xe2x80x9ccontinuous platexe2x80x9d) at predetermined intervals, and extend continuously in a width direction of this base plate. A groove-like space, formed between any two adjacent partition walls 105, serves as a terminal receiving portion 106 for receiving the terminal 102.
A number of (for example, 50) terminal receiving portions 106 are formed on the single continuous base plate 104, and this is called xe2x80x9ca fifty-row structurexe2x80x9d, and the base plate is cut into a predetermined length, and this section is used as a component part of the connector 100.
The terminal 102 is formed by pressing or working an electrically-conductive metal sheet into a predetermined shape, and this terminal includes a connection portion 102a for connection to a mating connector, and two pairs of press-contacting blades 102b to which a wire 107 can be press-contacted. Other example of the terminal 102 than such a press-contacting terminal is a press-clamping terminal, and either can be used.
The terminals 102 are inserted into the terminal receiving portions 106, respectively, and each terminal 102 is positioned as shown in FIG. 14, and in this condition the wire 107, having a sheath, is press-fitted into a gap between each pair of press-contacting blades 102b as indicated by arrow A. As a result, the press-contacting blades 102b cut the sheath 107a of the wire 107, and then come into contact with a conductor 107b, thereby electrically connecting the terminal 102 to the wire 107.
In the connector 100 shown in FIG. 13, the terminals 102 are inserted in the respective terminal receiving portions 106, and the insulating housing 101, having the wires 107 connected thereto, is cut to provide five-row sections, and these housing sections are stacked together in a four-stage manner, and this stack is fitted into the cover member 103. The cover member 103 is integrally molded of a synthetic resin.
The connection portions 102a of the terminal 102 are exposed to one side surface of the connector 100, and the wires 107 are extended outwardly from the rear side surface of the connector.
The insulating housing 101 is molded of a synthetic resin, using molds, and is produced by a molding method (producing method) shown in FIG. 15.
More specifically, filling portions 112, corresponding in shape to the insulating housing 101, are formed respectively in opposed side surfaces of a pair of molds 111a and 111b as shown in FIG. 15. Filling portions for molding the partition walls 105 are formed in a reverse surface of the mold 111a. 
For molding the insulating housing 101, the molds 111a and 111b are driven respectively in directions of arrow B so as to join the filling portions 112 together, and then a synthetic resin is poured. Then, after the synthetic resin is solidified, the molds 111a and 111b are driven respectively in directions of arrow C, and therefore are moved apart from each other, thereby obtaining the insulating housing 101.
In the above mold structure, when moving the molds 111a and 111b into and out of mating engagement with each other, the stroke of each of the molds 111a and 111b in the direction of arrow B and the direction of arrow C is short, and therefore even a narrow operating space is acceptable, and besides the operability is excellent. However, the following problem has been encountered with the produced insulating housing 101.
Namely, it is preferred that the insulating housing 101 should have a flat plate-like shape as shown in an upper portion of FIG. 16.
However, the insulating housing was often warped or curved by the shrinking appearing after the molding, as shown in a lower portion of FIG. 16. It may be proposed to provide reinforcing members, interconnecting the partition walls 105, in order to prevent the deformation due to the shrinking. With this construction, however, it is necessary to add a slide mold to the molds 111a and 111b, and therefore there is encountered a problem that the mold structure becomes complicated, so that the cost increases.
This invention has been made in view of the above problem and an object of the invention is to provide a connector employing an insulating housing of such a structure that this housing is less liable to be deformed.
(1) The above object of the invention has been achieved by a connector comprising:
at least one insulating housing, including
a strip-like base plate having a longitudinal direction thereof and a width direction thereof perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, the base plate being cut into a predetermined length in the longitudinal direction from a continuous plate which has a plurality of terminal receiving portions,
a plurality of partition walls formed on the base plate, and extending continuously in the width direction of the base plate, and the partition walls being juxtaposed at a predetermined interval in the longitudinal direction of the base plate,
a bridge member having bridging portions each of which bridges between two adjacent ones of the partition walls, and
a plurality of notches each of which is formed at a position directly below the bridging portions on the base plate;
a plurality of terminals disposed respectively along the partition walls; and
a cover member receivable the insulating housing.
In the connector of this construction, the bridge member bridges between any two adjacent partition walls extending upright from the base plate, and therefore deformation due to shrinking will not occur thanks to the cooperation of the bridge members with the base plate.
The notches are formed respectively at positions corresponding to the bridge members on the base plate disposed respectively, and therefore molds for molding the bridge members can be produced, utilizing these notches, and a slide mold for molding the bridge members is not necessary.
(2) In the invention, a plurality of convex portions project from the bridge member in a thickness direction of the base plate, and the convex portions have an outer shape corresponding to an inner shape of the notch. Therefore, when stacking the adjacent insulating housings, the insulating housings can be positioned with respect to each other by fitting the convex portions in the respective notches.
In the case where insulating housings are stacked together in a plurality of stages, the upper and lower insulating housings can be easily separated from each other when convex portions on the lower housing are merely fitted respectively in notches in the upper housing. Therefore, preferably, suitable projections are formed respectively in the notches in the upper insulating housing, and the convex portions on the lower insulating housing can be retainingly engaged with these projections, respectively.
In this case, however, it is necessary to form a recess in that portion of each convex portion corresponding to the projection, and therefore for providing the convex portion and the projection at the same region, a mold structure for injection molding the insulating housing need to include a slide mold.
(3) In the present invention, the convex portions are formed alternately on one of each two of the bridging portions, and the insulating housings are stacked in at least two stages, and the convex portions on an upper one of any two adjacent insulating housings are arranged in a staggered manner to the convex portions on a lower one of this two insulating housings.
With this staggered arrangement, the convex portions, formed on the lower insulating housings, are fitted respectively at positions on the upper insulating housings where the convex portions are not formed.
In this connector, when the plurality of insulating housings each having the alternately-arranged convex portions, are stacked together, the convex portions of the stacked insulating housings are arranged in a staggered manner. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide the convex portion and the projection at the same region, and as a result the mold structure for injection molding the insulating housing does not need to include a slide mold.
(4) In the invention, the convex portions are formed respectively on the bridging portions of the insulating housing. In this case, when a required number of insulating housings are cut, and are stacked together, the convex portions never fail to be disposed respectively corresponding to the corresponding notches regardless of this number.
(5) As described above, in the invention, the convex portions may be engageable with the notches.
(6) That is, in the invention, a recess may be formed on a back side of at least one of the convex portions and a projection may formed at a front end of the base plate in at least one of the notches, so that the recess is engaged with the projection.
(7) In the invention, the projection may be formed at a front end of the base plate in the notch directly below the other of the two bridging portions where the convex portion is not formed.